Daydream thread continues.....

Itismehonest

lostinrates wrote: »

Alfie...yeah.....i think we better have another girl, else we will only have two geese left i think! They are all chummy then launch into each other with horrific violence!

Tweed died.....just drifted off to sleep today after a nice rice breakfast. Perfect end.

Now, chicken keepers.....talkmto me about crops. These batts have overfull hard crops. They are being fed ex batt pellets and show no interst in oyseter shell. I think i will have to manually empty their crops tomorrow morning, because i cannot see how they will survive otherwise. They were big when they came, but are getting no smaller, perhaps even bigger! And really hard feeling. Never had this before!

If the birds' crops aren't empty first thing in the morning when you let them out, LIR, then there's a problem. It could be what's called sour crop or it could be that they are crop bound. If you watch the birds are they doing strange things with their heads?
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lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

If the birds' crops aren't empty first thing in the morning when you let them out, LIR, then there's a problem. It could be what's called sour crop or it could be that they are crop bound. If you watch the birds are they doing strange things with their heads?
.

No, they are full, in the morning. They don't act or move in any way strangly, but there is an obvious problem. I plan to try olive oil and a manual empty...unless any one knows a better method?

alfie_1

LIR.....it may pay you to keep the bat chooks [when/if you empty thier crops] seperate and feed them a moist layers mash for a couple of days BUT limit thier feed and give them a cabbage or something to peck at. ive done this in the past with ex bats, as they have been programmed to eat for thier life through previous competition , and they dont realise that they dont HAVE to eat so fast now..... they probably didnt get what you provide quantity wise. its called survival in that enmass envoironment.

lostinrates

alfie_1 wrote: »

LIR.....it may pay you to keep the bat chooks [when/if you empty thier crops] seperate and feed them a moist layers mash for a couple of days BUT limit thier feed and give them a cabbage or something to peck at. ive done this in the past with ex bats, as they have been programmed to eat for thier life through previous competition , and they dont realise that they dont HAVE to eat so fast now..... they probably didnt get what you provide quantity wise. its called survival in that enmass envoironment.

Ok, good plan.

I have also been reading that feeding live maggots is a good idea for this. Yuck. There is a fishing shop in near town so guess that is where i should heading.

It seem wrong to introwduce maggots somehow, but, then, i have never had this sort of problem, and others have so....

Itismehonest

If it's a hard crop it's more likely that they are crop bound.

Yes, olive oil or liquid paraffin are the things to try. Just a very small amount (half a teaspoon-ish) twice a day & massage the crop.

Meanwhile, change the feed, if you can, to something softer. Got any layer's mash? Try mixing something like a bio yoghurt in whatever you feed them. Theoretically the bacteria in the yoghurt works for chickens crops in the same way as it does our stomachs - producing bacteria to help things break down, I'm told.

If it hasn't worked by tomorrow afternoon then the only remedy I know is surgery.:( You can do this yourself - I've known people who do - but I'm not sure I'd want to _pale_

alfie_1

Panto sounds a bit pants Alfie - don't know how you have the patience - think I'd open my big mouth & offend the control freak.



i did ....!!:o about 3 weeks ago...

i steered clear for a couple of weeks and she was all over me like a rash last sunday !! not sure which was worse..:D

im going to miss the 1st night as i have my MRI scan at 7 pm ?? that evening .....[could be a blessing !:rotfl:]

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

If it's a hard crop it's more likely that they are crop bound.

Yes, olive oil or liquid paraffin are the things to try. Just a very small amount (half a teaspoon-ish) twice a day & massage the crop.

Meanwhile, change the feed, if you can, to something softer. Got any layer's mash? Try mixing something like a bio yoghurt in whatever you feed them. Theoretically the bacteria in the yoghurt works for chickens crops in the same way as it does our stomachs - producing bacteria to help things break down, I'm told.

If it hasn't worked by tomorrow afternoon then the only remedy I know is surgery.:( You can do this yourself - I've known people who do - but I'm not sure I'd want to _pale_

I would, if i jnew what i were doing. Right, off to get mash, maggots, yoghurt and syringe oo.

alfie_1

LIR...be very carefull changing thier diet to much ,thier stomachs/systems have been virtually programmed for thier life [as theve known it!] maggots? not heard that one and id be a tad worried of them going/not going to the right place [getting into the nostrils [just got images of how far maggots can go with fly strike ] and if they have any lacerations in the crop etc they could do damage ?? only my opinion tho !!

choille

Really gusty & wet ...again.
Your cockerel sounded like he had a good innings & life LIR.

Just had a couple up to look at the house build as they are thinking of building, but I think they were just being nosey, but they're nice so you don't mind really, but the day's getting away from me.

choille

LIR - never had the compacted crop thing but mine love the shale that I get from the beach & leave for hem to help themselves. If you can't get it softened & shifted you have to cut through outer skin layer with a scalpel, twist the neck slightly & cut right into the crop - this means that once you've manually emptied the crop - when you finish the top layer of skin covers the cut crop as they are slit in different places is the inner & outer layer. Have never needed to do it but apparently sometimes that is all that you can do if it's become really compacted.